The present invention relates to an apparatus for handling, stowing, and off-loading a pair of cylindrical bodies, such as a pair of missiles, torpedoes, or projectiles.
Submarine torpedo tubes are primarily utilized for launching torpedoes. However, other cylindrical objects, such as missiles, projectiles, or even oceanographic hardware, can be launched from a torpedo tube. A particular piece of hardware that the Navy is interested in launching from a torpedo tube is the mobile submarine simulator, hereinafter referred to as MOSS. In the past, a separate stowage tray was used to load and stow three of the MOSS. This tray utilized obsolete loading gear and special equipment was required to lock the MOSS to the gear aboard the submarine. In operation, the MOSS were manually removed from the tray utilizing emergency handling gear and then transferred to a MOSS loading tray. The loading tray was then indexed to the load line and the MOSS was loaded into the submarine launcher. This operation not only took a great deal of time, but was hazardous to personnel and involved three or four people. The equipment also took up extra storage space in the torpedo room which is very critical.